Turf Replacement Rebate Program

The City of Napa is offering water customers an incentive to replace their thirsty lawns with water-efficient landscaping.  The program offers 50 cents per square foot to replace eligible lawn areas with:

• Low-water-use, climate-appropriate plants, and/or
• Permeable hardscape, and/or
• Artificial Grass ((polyethylene and nylon products only)

The program is open to all properties that are served by a City of Napa water account - residential, commercial, industrial, or institutional.  The following per site maximum rebate amounts apply:

     $500 for Single-Family Residential (equivalent to 1,000 square feet of lawn removed)
     $2,500 for HOA/Multi-Family/Commercial/Industrial/Institutional (equivalent to 5,000 square feet of lawn removed)
Customers may of course remove more turf area than is covered by the rebate program, but the per site maximum $ still applies.

If you are an interested customer, be sure to fully review the Cash For Grass Application and Terms & Conditions.

Customers must consent to brief Pre- and Post-Inspection site visits.
NOTE: Lawn areas to be converted must be currently healthy and irrigated.
Dead lawns or lawns already removed at the time of pre-inspection are not eligible for the Cash For Grass rebate.

Steps To Participate

1. Call the Water Conservation Representative at 707-257-9497 to schedule a brief Pre-Inspection visit to have the lawn area measured.
2. Following Pre-Inspection, await receipt of Notice to Proceed letter and pre-approved Application from the City.  Do not remove lawn until you receive these documents.
3. Remove the lawn area and install your project according to the program Terms and Conditions.
4. Call the Water Conservation Representative at 707-257-9497 to schedule a Post-Inspection visit.  Post-Inspection must take place within four (4) months of the Notice to Proceed.
5. Provide at Post-Inspection, or mail in, your final completed Application along with a list of plants and materials used in the conversion.  Rebate checks will be processed within four (4) weeks.

Some Water-Wise Plant Resources

Want to get rid of that high-water-use lawn, but aren't sure what to put in its place?  The following resources can help:

• Garden Gallery in the Water-Wise Gardening in the Napa Valley web site
• Sunset's Lose the Lawn: 21 Inspiring Yards
• The Sunset Western Garden Book and EBMUD's Plants and Landscapes for Summer-Dry Climates
• WUCOLS: Plant species classified into very low, low, moderate, and high water use
• California Native Plant Society
• Water-Wise Landscaping Workshops
• Water-Wise Demonstration Areas at Fire Station #3 (Trower & Solano) and the Napa Community Garden (Trower & Jefferson)
• Remember the 8 Basic Principles of Water-Wise Landscaping.
• If you need professional help, consider hiring a local Bay-Friendly Qualified Landscaper.

ALERT:  To retain Cash For Grass rebate eligibility, DO NOT INSTALL HIGH-WATER-USE PLANTS in your converted landscape.  Only low- or moderate-water-use species are acceptable.  High-water-use plant species are those listed as needing "Regular Water" or "Ample Water" in the Sunset Western Garden Book and those classified as High (H) water use in WUCOLS.